Night-walkers
An Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Fanfiction
Disclaimer: the author claims no ownership for Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls, and pretty much anything you might recognize
Chapter Three: Blood
The courtroom had two long tables with a few people sitting there, feeding. On the far end of the room, there was another Table, this one with five seats. In the Middle sat the Lord of the Castle.
Two dogs were roaming the hall, guarding, and there was a room for the Mages, and another for the Smith.
Almost like a normal Courtroom of a Jarl.
The similarities ended right there. Unlike a normal court, the food on the tables were actual humans and elves, vampires sinking their teeth in their neck, feeding.
The two dogs were Death hounds (or so had Serana Called the black dogs that seemed to follow Vampires everywhere). The room for Mages had the dead body of a Mage in it, and the lord of the castle wasn't wearing some wool clothing or robes. He was wearing a red and black armor, similar to the one Serana was wearing (of course, this one forged for a male vampire instead of a female one).
Oh, and the court members were all Vampires.
As Serana Walked to the Main table, towards the Lord of The Castle, the Man rose. "My long lost daughter returns at last!" he waited a few moments for dramatic effects. Then his tone changed, "I trust you have my Elder scroll with you?"
Wow, father of the year award should go to this guy! He thought. Considering her tone, Serana believed the same. "after all these years, this is the first thing you ask of me?" she sighed loudly, "yes, I have your scroll."
A few of the vampires murmured "she has the scroll?" "she has the scroll!" "the elder scroll!" "at last!"
The Elf vampire walked to the main table, taking his seat on the last seat on the left.
Serana's Father Shook his head, "of course I'm glad to see you, Daughter! Must I really say the words aloud?" no, don't. you just did, and it was the fakest greetings I've ever heard "ah, if only your traitor of a mother was here. I'd let her watch this reunion. Before putting her head on a spike!"
The Vampire said "now, tell me, daughter. Who is this stranger you've brought into our hall?"
Serana pointed at him, "this, is my Savior. The one who freed me"
The Elder Vampire raised an eyebrow, "really?" he looked at Eradil, "for my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Now tell me, what is your name?"
Eradil looked him straight in the eyes, deciding not to back down. "My Name is Eradil Envyln. Now tell me, who are you?"
The Vampire walked around the table, standing in front of Eradil, and said "I am Harkon. Lord of this Castle and Patriarch of the Volkihar Clan. I hope my daughter's told you who we are by now"
He said "yes. You're vampires"
Harkon didn't seem to like his answer. With indignation he said "not just vampires! We're among the oldest and most powerful of our kind in skyrim. For centuries have we lived here, far from the cares of the world." He sighed, "That, of course, ended when my wife Betrayed our kind and stole what I valued most"
Somehow, I got the vibes he wasn't actually talking about Serana. Or the Scroll on her back.
Serana seemed to realize it too, as she tightened her lips, looking at the two males exchange greetings.
Eradil said "So, what happens now?"
The Vampire admitted "You've done me a great service" he looked at him thoughtfully, "and you must be rewarded. There is but one gift I can give, that is equal to my daughter and my elder scroll." He exclaimed proudly, "My Blood!"
Noticing Eradil's confused look, he explained, "come, follow me to my Office, and I'll explain."
Once the two of us, along with Serana, were in his Office, he said "I offer you my blood. Take it, and you shall walk like a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you'll never fear death again"
in other words: become a vampire, like me. Eradil said "I need a few minutes to think about this, Lord Harkon"
"please, take your time"
And that was when Eradil began thinking. This could be the single most important choice in his life, if he made it. On one hand, there was the fact that he was supposed to be a vampire hunter. Actually, he was a vampire hunter. On the other hand, the Dawnguard pretty much found him useless, and expendable, and sent him to die.
Oh gods, was there actually a doubt what he'd choose?
Harkon, tired of waiting, said "perhaps you'd need more convincing. Behold the power!"
A blood-red mist began rising from harkon's body, surrounding him. Eradil took a step back, before he could stop himself.
Harkon then seemed to Explode. a monster stepped forward from where he was standing.
The monster was at least two feet higher than Harkon, and looked like a Gargoyle, just more intimidating. Claws stretched out of his fingers, a pair of wings grew out of his back. With a flap of his wings, Harkon-beast flew in the air, his hands raised, with a red aura surrounding one of them.
The beast was powerful, and unearthly. It wasn't something that was supposed to exist, and it was magnificent.
Harkon-beast then said "Now, Make your choice!"
The choice was made, and Eradil knew he would never regret this.
"I accept your gift"
The Beast once again descended to earth, and said "good. Now, hold still!"
The lord of the castle bared his teeth, and quickly grabbed Eradil.
All he heard was the sound of Snap, and a jolt of pain.
He knew no more.
Eradil woke up in a temple. In front of him were the entire court, as Harkon walked towards a strange looking Statue to some Daedric God.
A Younger looking Harkon said "Molag Bal! Harvester of Souls, God of Schemes! On this day, I Summon Thee!"
The ground beneath them shook, the air transforming into blood-red mist.
In front of Harkon, next to the Statue (which was probably a statue of Molag Bal. he'd never seen one of them, so he wouldn't know) a portal opened.
A voice said "who dares summon the Lord of Rape?"
Harkon said "it is I, Volkihar Harkon! Lord of this land, and one of your faithful worshippers!" "and why would this volkihar Harkon summon the Lord of Rape, then?"
"to ask for a blessing, one for me and my court!"
"I will, under one condition" "anything, My lord!"
"you shall gift to me your beloved, and her firstborn daughter. You shall ready them for Coldharbour itself! Can you do that, Harkon Volkihar?"
The Court gasped briefly, Harkon hesitated for a moment, and then said "I can, and I will, M'lord. If they accept it"
"good, then I give you the Blessing of the night! You, and whoever you choose, will be my instruments of destruction upon this realm. In the name of Void below, I name thee Vampire, Creature of the Shadows, Life drainer, Night-stalker! Thou shalt be lion among sheep! So says Molag Bal, Lord of Rape, God of Schemes, Harvester of Souls!"
The room darkened, and he once again plunged into unconsciousness.
When he woke again, he was in the same temple. Now empty and unused for ages.
In front of him was a shrine to Molag Bal, a well of blood flowing into a large bowl beneath it. Next to it was Harkon, this time, in his Human form.
The Vampire said "Awake at last! Good. The power is growing within you, and you must learn to wield it"
The power? Eradil said "I'm ready to learn about the powers you've gifted me."
The vampire smiled, and said "with my guidance, you'll be an instrument of Death, striking terror in the heart of Mortals wherever you tread. Now listen carefully, and do as I instruct!
"True power of Ancient Blood is found in the form of the Vampire Lord. Assume the mantle of Vampire lord, and we will continue"
But I don't know how to-before he could complain, he realized he actually knew how to do that. The power of Blood was calling him, and all he had to do was answer that call. With a bit of precision, he found the source of the power he felt within him, and grabbed it, forcing it to come to him.
Red Mist Covered his eyes, in a moment, he felt a jolt of pain. Then a sense of freedom.
He looked at his own arms. They were both grey in skin, unlike his normal golden skin, and long, sharp, talons had stretched painlessly from his fingers, well, actually Claws.
He felt his wings flapping, and looked around. Harkon looked significantly shorter now, but there was no fear within his eyes. He said "in this form, you can drain the life of your foes on your right hand. With your left hand you can wield the power of blood magic to raise the dead."
As soon as Harkon mentioned it, he could see the difference. His right hand was surrounded by a magic of Blood red aura, and a bluish aura of necromantic type surrounded his left hand.
"you can also call upon the powers of the night, and turn into a swarm of bats, and travel in such form, at will"
As he said it, Eradil Tried to test it. He willed himself to become a swarm of bats. And then, he was a bat, amongst many more of them, once again, he transformed back into the form of Vampire lord.
"should you run out of magicka, you can descend to the ground and fight like the beasts do. Do so, and we shall continue"
Eradil willed his wings to stop flapping, and slowly descended down, on the ground, and raised his arms. Harkon nodded, and said "good. You are, of course, weaker on the ground, because you cannot access the blood magic. However, the night powers are still yours to command, and your claws are sharper than any weapon found in this mortal realm. Over time, you will grow in power and strength, and you will find new ways to use your magic. There is much to learn, but if you master the powers of vampire lord, few enemies can stand against you."
As Eradil once again used his wings to hover on the ground, he heard Harkon say "there is one last thing you might need to know. Draining the life force from your foes can grant you new night powers and blood magic. I keep a stable of Thralls within this castle, should you need to feed like the lesser vampires to stave off the sun. That is all you need to know. Rest, and enjoy your new powers as the Vampire lord. But do know that should you show this form to a human you wish not to kill, they might not believe you. Sadly, the actions of our lesser-gifted kin has damaged the reputation of the Vampire kind. Now, once you turn back into your mortal form, you might feel weakened, but do not be surprised. That is merely your body experiencing a decrease in power. Nothing more"
Eradil Turned back into a mortal elf once more, Harkon said "good. I have a task for you, that might help you learn to use your powers against real foes. Talk to me when you are ready"
I said "tell me of this task, M'lord" "Speak with Garan Merathi. Tell him it is time. he'll understand."
End of Chapter Three
Notes: if you're not a warrior, choosing the Dawnguard in game is pretty much stupid for you (the few few restoration spells aren't usefull for a vampire). Vampires are better in thief skills (Illusion is easier, No one hears you when you sneak, you can turn invisible) and they can cast useful spells (at least, the VL form is)
the first time I played Dawnguard, I was a low level destruction mage. For a mage with a low level (12 to be precise), the Vampire lord is basically an in-game God Mode. A strong spell that can kill enemies with a single hit. A raise dead spell that can revive NPCs with a higher level than you. Oh, and don't forget the claws!
So while writing this, I decided to use those opinions to shape Eradil's first ideas about being a Vampire lord. He's an Altmer, basically built for being a mage (even though he doesn't know any spells apart from Flame and Healing, that will change soon though)
A few things have changed from the game of course, one is the use of 'Bats' ability (which, in game, is basically used only when you're stuck somewhere, due to the largeness of the VL form). Another is that normal people in Skyrim can't open a skill list and choose new perks, so I'll just have to choose which ones Eradil gets first.
Another is the fact the in game, Harkon basically turns you in front of the whole court. And I think that to be idiotic. The whole thing about Harkon asking the two to go to his chambers was something I first saw in "Five Threads", a story by El Stormo. I don't claim it to be my own idea.